Barclays Says Outage Caused By ‘Technical Issue’

Barclays said disruption to its services that extended over the weekend was the result of a “technical issue” and not a cyber-attack or other malicious activity.

The bank, which has more than 20 million retail customers in the UK, said it has fixed the issue that locked many users out of their accounts on Friday and Saturday, and promised to compensate them for any losses.

Access to payment apps and online services was restored by late Saturday, and the bank said that it had updated account balances by the end of Sunday.

The issue was complicated by the fact that it began on the same day that was the HM Revenue and Customs deadline for self-assessment tax returns.

Balances updated

The day was also pay-day for many users.

“The technical issue impacting our customers on Friday and Saturday has been resolved and delayed payments processed. Customers can use our app, bank online, call us, use their cards and withdraw cash,” Barclays said on Sunday.

“We are working on bringing balances up to date for some of our customers and addressing any outstanding issues. We are very sorry for any disruption and will ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket.”

The bank said it left call centres open for longer over the weekend and would be “proactively contacting customers who may be vulnerable”.

On social media, Barclays advised users facing difficulties accessing their funds to seek help from friends and family.

Responding to one user on X who said they were unable to access their account, Barclays posted a link to Trussell Trust, which operates food banks nationwide.

Missed payments

The BBC said there were at least two separate incidents of people being unable to move into a new house because payments had not gone through.

Around 2,000 people reported issues with Barclays on Downdetector on Friday, and more than 5,000 people reported issues on Saturday.

The firm has not offered further details on what caused the outage.